Just try and keep up

(Hitch)hiking in Marin + my birthday party! + lazy Labor Day

Happy Labor Day, friends!! I hope you all got to spend some time outdoors and with loved ones on this long weekend. These past few days were somewhat of my “last hurrah” after a whole month of travelling and before starting to hit the books again + fall marathon training. I’m actually pretty excited to go back to adding structure to my routine and being in the grind once again. I always feel my best self when I’m being 110% productive and training for a race.

Now let’s recap on a pretty crazy weekend of the going on’s around here in SF!

Friday: Dipsea trail + Stinson beach + poker night

Briana and I both had off from work on Friday, and so we decided to make a day out of it and go hiking up in Marin. We picked the hottest day of the year as it was over NINETY degrees in SF…but we didn’t let that stop us. We chose the Dipsea trail which was 5 miles from Muir Woods to Stinson beach. Super pretty views of Marin and Mount Tamalpais, and lots of diversity from exposed, dirt paths to shady tree-filled trails.

Ran into some Redwoods!

The hike was HOT and a solid effort, but time flew by while me and Briana chatted away. It was all worth it when we made it to Stinson beach as the final destination. Stinson beach is actually SUPER scenic and surrounded by awesome cliffs…probably my favorite beach in California yet.

For hours we swam in the ocean, chilled on the sand, drank smoothies, talked about everything under the sun…it was such a blissful afternoon and perfect way to end the hot hike.

Funny enough, we couldn’t call an Uber from the beach since it was too remote, so we hitchhiked our way back to SF – straight up stood on the road with our thumbs out to catch a ride. We ended up finding a ride with a nice woman and her son. 😛

In the evening, I went over to my Marina friend’s apartment for poker night. I think the guys under-estimated my poker experience and I ended up winning the most money (almost double my buy-in!), which would all go into the birthday alcohol fund for the following day… 😉

A couch surfer joined us later on as part of Matt’s hosting. He was from Korea and visiting SF to surprise his ex-girlfriend and win her back…we were so entranced by this real-life love story and couldn’t help but interject with advice for our new friend 😛

Saturday: my 24th birthday part

The following day was centered around prepping for and throwing my BIRTHDAY PARTY!! My apartment was far too small but I was lucky enough to have the Marina guys help me host. We started with buying lots of libations:

Followed by decorating, making birthday punch, and getting ready for the big night!

I don’t have many pics from the actual party, but it ended up being a big hit! All of my closest friends in SF came and then some. I loved bouncing around and playing hostess, and felt so blessed that all these people were willing to come out for me. We had enough drinks for all of SF, so I think it’s safe to say everyone had a good time :P. It was so nice to have an excuse to get everyone together, and definitely made me feel so blessed to have several amazing circles of friends here. Definitely one of the most special nights in SF so far ❤

Sunday: lazy Sunday

The next morning, I went back to the guys’ apartment to help clean up. Ben joined later and we all went for lunch in the Marina. Burritos + water views = perfect cure for our hangovers.

The rest of the day we laid low at the apartment, talked about the previous night, and recovered. A new friend I met at my party, Anu, joined us later and we went for a walk (he is a good friend of Viggy’s from college and new to SF!).

My day ended promptly at 9pm after which I fell fast asleep for 13 hours. Much needed as I’ve been feeling behind on sleep for weeks!

Monday: lazier Monday

Monday was Labor Day, and even lazier than the previous day. Most of the day was spent in bed, with the exception of 5 miles to kick off official marathon training (AHHH!!).

In the evening, Viggy and I headed to the Richmond to eat sushi and ice cream with Ben. I actually really love the Richmond and don’t venture out nearly enough. There’s tons of great Asian food and has an open feel like the Marina. It was the perfect ending to the long weekend by unwinding with some of the fam

Hello, I’m Charlotte! I’m a 5x marathoner, 10x half marathoner, and 2x triathlete. This blog focuses on my journey training for races, balancing life as a working gal in San Francisco, my wonderful friends and family, and all the beauty in between. Thanks for stopping by :)